Leviticus 10:1-2 -"[1] And Nadab and Abihu,
the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire
therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before
the LORD, which he commanded them not. [2] And there went out
fire from the LORD, and devoured them, and they died before the
LORD."
This is the short record of two priests of God
who did not obey God in the thing they were ordained to do: burn
incense to God. It was the obligation of the common priest to
daily offer incense, light the lamp stand, and assist in other
sacrifices made by the people. Nadab and Abihu were doing what
they were told to do. They were the right people, doing the right
thing, doing it in the right place, but doing it in the wrong
way. This example illustrates the way God reacts when his people
fail to do what He has said.
In this passage it is said that they "offered
strange fire." It was strange fire because it did not come
from the right place. Lev. 16:12 "And he shall take a censer
full of burning coals of fire from off the altar before the LORD,
and his hands full of sweet incense beaten small, and bring it
within the vail:" Note that the fire for this offering came
from the brazen altar at the opening to the tabernacle. The established
order was fire in a censer, a hand full of incense, and it to
be brought inside. Nadab and Abihu offered "strange fire,"
meaning from a common place. It was not the sacred fire that was
commanded. Though the command to use fire from the brazen altar
is not found before this event, it is evidently the rule that
is inferred in the statement: "which he commanded them not."
They did not follow God's order in their worship, so God slew
them for their disobedience; and when they rejected heavenly fire,
they were slain by fire from heaven. (The fire from the brazen
altar was itself fire from heaven. Lev. 9:24 "And there came
a fire out from before the LORD, and consumed upon the altar the
burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw,
they shouted, and fell on their faces. Lev. 6:12-13 "[12]
And the fire upon the altar shall be burning in it; it shall not
be put out: and the priest shall burn wood on it every morning,
and lay the burnt offering in order upon it; and he shall burn
thereon the fat of the peace offerings. [13] The fire shall ever
be burning upon the altar; it shall never go out.")
There are two things we need to note about this
event. First, there is no commandment saying that they should
NOT use fire from a common, non-sacred, source. There was a required
source for the fire as is stated in Lev. 16:12. The Bible does
not have to say "Thou shalt not," for a thing to be
wrong. The positive command authorizing fire from the brazen altar
was enough to eliminate all other fire, and to use such was wrong.
In making application of this principle to the New Testament church,
we learn that the use of instrumental music is wrong even though
there is no command forbidding such. It is wrong simply because
it is not authorized by God.
Second, God punishes disobedience. Nadab and Abihu
died when fire from heaven devoured them. This reveals the way
God regarded disobedience to His law then, and the same principle
applies to men today. Thus, the lesson: "It pays to follow
God, it pays to obey God." When we obey, we can expect to
be blessed. When we disobey, we can expect to be punished.
By inference, there is another lesson from this
event. The priests were forbidden to drink wine or strong drink
when they went into the tabernacle to do God's service. Lev. 10:8-9
"[8] And the LORD spake unto Aaron, saying, [9] Do not drink
wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go
into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die: it shall
be a statute for ever throughout your generations." It
is very possible that Nadab and Abihu acted under the influence
of intoxicating drink. The lesson would be that we must not allow
our thinking to be clouded by strong drink that would lead to
serious consequences. 119 Holden St., Rogersville, AL 35652.